Life Mission commission of Rs 4.5 crore paid from UAE flood relief funds: ED remand report

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims that a commission of Rs 4.5 crore was involved in the Life Mission housing project.

The details were provided in the remand report the ED filed on Wednesday seeking custody of M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Based on the report, the PMLA Court in Kochi remanded Sivasankar to five days.

The ED report also includes excerpts of WhatsApp conversations between Sivasankar and Swapna Suresh, accused in the Thiruvananthapuram Airport gold smuggling case.

Sivasankar also played a pivotal role in helping Santhosh Eapen, Managing Director of Unitac Ltd and Sane Ventures, a private contractor, gain the contract for the Life Mission project, the report states.

United Arab Emirates' Red Crescent Authority had offered to sponsor the project that aimed to construct 140 housing units for the poor at Wadakkancherry in the Thrissur district.

Former Congress MLA Anil Akkara shed light on the alleged violation of FCRA (Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act) norms after he filed a complaint with the CBI.

The ED report mentions "suspected pecuinary advantage obtained by various persons including some public servants".

"It was alleged that a commission of Rs 4.5 crores was given to middlemen including state representatives and government officials out of the funds received from UAE Red Crescent meant for flood affected victims of Kerala," the report states.

Meanwhile, in the WhatsApp chats highlighted by the ED, Sivasankar allegedly tells Swapna to be vigilant, warning her that if something were to go wrong she would be targetted.